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Gardener's Diary

June 2012

I have been gardening now as a hobby for about forty years, but have no formal training.. I don't have a favourite style of gardening, traditional is nice, but I also think the modern trends work well.

This column adds a new dimension to my interest in all aspects of horticulture and will hopefully help others find pleasure in this healthy and therapeutic pastime ...

Please e-mail me with your garden problems, comments, or ideas for this section of laterlife, remembering to tell me which country you are from..

June is not such a frantic month for gardeners, as most of the heavy work has now been done. The bedding plants, tubs and hanging baskets are in place and growing nicely and all those maintenance jobs have been seen to, so stand back and take stock of your garden. The next three months are the best in the year for relaxing in the garden and enjoying the fruits of your labour, before the Autumn arrives...

As most garden centres are not selling Busy Lizzies or Busy Lizzy seed this year, because of the Downy Mildew, I have planted Begonia Sempervirans, see above left, in their place. I see many outlets are still selling Busy Lizzies which isn't really helping to erase the disease..

Jobs for June

Fruit and vegetable garden

Many houseplants can be put outside safely now that all risk of frost has passed. Put them in a sheltered place out of strong winds and sunlight and check them regularly as they will dry out a lot quicker than if they were indoors. Keep woolly leaved and tender plants indoors. Experiment with cuttings from all types of houseplants. Those houseplants left inside should be kept out of strong sunlight in case they get scorched.

Lawns

Rake the lawn before mowing it at this time of year, which lifts up the creeping stems of many lawn weeds. I have noticed that the "Weed and Feed" the lawn was recently treated to, has not killed off the clover and yellow trefoil in my lawn, so I have given it an application of Verdone lawn weedkiller. I have bought the same brand in a spray to use as a top up spot weedkiller for the stubborn ones. I WILL get them!

Herbaceous borders

Remove May-flowering tulips to make room for your bedding plants, forking a general purpose fertiliser into the soil before replanting. Use a hoe regularly on the borders to keep them weed-free and aerated. Dead head flowers regularly to encourage new growth.

Roses

Roses are back in demand, see here.. Disbudding, to get large blooms is an important job this month. Take out all the smaller buds on a stem, leaving only the biggest two or three, or just leave one bud if you want show flowers. Supplementary feeds will keep your roses in top condition. Watch out for mildew, black spot and insects, spraying accordingly.

Water gardens

June is an excellent time for planting all aquatics. The stocking of new pools or the Spring cleaning and re-planting of established ones can be continued throughout this month. Be careful though not to lose any tiny, newly hatched fish (fry) if you are changing the water in your pond. Don`t let blanket weed smother your fish and plants, hook it out with a stick, taking care not to catch any frogs or fish in it..

Wildlife

The hedgehog can be encouraged to come into the garden in the evening with his favourite drink of milk, and Barn Owls are often seen at twilight at this time of year. It is said that our native Sparrow is on the decline, but we have literally hundreds of them nesting under our roof tiles and in our garden hedges, and what a noise they make.. We have stopped feeding our garden birds because our puppies were eating all the sunflower seed husks

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